Blackpool

The religious profile of Blackpool changed substantially in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in housing tenure, marriage and health.

The population changed very little

Between the last two censuses, the population of Blackpool remained close to 142,000.

The loss of just over 200 people means this area's population decreased by 0.1% between that last two censuses, while the population of England increased by 7.9%

In 2011, Blackpool was home to, on average, 29 people per football pitch-sized piece of land. This made it the North West's third-most densely-populated unitary authority.

Population density was higher than the average across the North West

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the North West, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Blackpool

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Blackpool increased by one year, from 41 to 42 years.

This service economy area had a higher average age than the North West and remained somewhat older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of about 3,400 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by almost 5,000.

About 15% of people in Blackpool are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Blackpool by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Blackpool

The number of people in Blackpool that described themselves as having no religion increased from just over 16,000 in 2001 to just under 35,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 11% to 25% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across the North West (from 10% to 20%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Blackpool that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 110,000 in 2001 to about 95,000 in 2011 (from 79% to 67%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation decreased from about 12,000 to about 9,100 (from 8.8% to 6.4%).

About 1,100 people (0.4%) said they were Muslim, up from about 620 in 2001 (0.8%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Blackpool increased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Blackpool by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

Blackpool saw the North West's second-largest fall in the proportion of households without children.

In 2011, just over 6 in 10 (65%) households in Blackpool had no children, compared with 66% in 2001. The percentage with at least one child remained close to 26%.

Across the region, only Trafford saw a greater fall in the proportion of households without children (from 61% to 58%).

The proportion of households without children was higher than across the North West

Percentage of households without children across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in rate of unemployment

The percentage of Blackpool residents that were unemployed increased from 4.2% to 6.1% in the decade to 2011.

The percentage who said they were employed remained close to 47%, while the percentage of Blackpool residents that were self-employed decreased from 9.7% to 9.6%.

The proportion of unemployed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 3.6% in 2001 to 4.7% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.4% to 4.4%.

The rate of unemployment in Blackpool increased by 1.9 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Blackpool, the North West and England that said they were unemployed, March 2001 and March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Blackpool residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.4% to 1.8% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just over 1 in 30 (3.6%) reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 3.1% in 2001.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 1.3% in 2001 to 1.6% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Blackpool remained close to 1.8%

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Blackpool by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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